In celebration of Georgia Arbor Day, the Valdosta State University community gathered to plant a tree to honor the life and legacy of a beloved faculty member whose commitment to environmental stewardship helped shape the university’s thriving urban forest.

Dr. Linda Most joined the Department of Library and Information Studies faculty at VSU during Fall Semester 2009. She was passionate about the intersection of information, people, technology, and society, and she taught her students that democracy, education, and equity are impacted by how access to information is organized, protected, and provided.  

From her first day at VSU, Most was also a tireless advocate for the university’s green space initiatives, championing the pinetum outside her Odum Library office windows as fiercely as she promoted information literacy. She died Nov. 19, 2024.

“What we plant today shapes the world we leave for tomorrow,” shared Melinda Harbaugh, chief officer to the president. “Strong roots, careful tending, patience, and time can produce something beautiful and enduring. Dr. Linda Most understood this deeply.

“Through her many years on the Campus Beautification and Stewardship Subcommittee, she gave generously of her time, her expertise, and her passion. Her impact lives on, not only through her students, colleagues, and friends, but in the quiet spaces, flowering and green, between buildings, beneath trees, and along shaded walkways.”

Joined by Most’s sister, Sandy Osborne, and a representative from the Georgia Forestry Commission, members of VSU’s Campus Beautification and Stewardship Subcommittee and Campus Groves Committee grabbed a shovel and planted a Red Buckeye — a symbol of resilience, renewal, good luck, and positive energy — outside Odum Library. A commemorative plaque was placed next to the tree, recognizing Most’s lifelong dedication to nurturing both the natural landscape and the minds of students. 

“To honor Dr. Most, we knew we needed a tree that was native, unique, beneficial to wildlife, and planted where it could be seen from the offices of Odum Library,” said Monica Haynes, superintendent of Landscape and Grounds at VSU. “The Red Buckeye was the perfect choice. It will ensure her legacy will continue to grow, providing shade, beauty, and inspiration for generations to come.”

Haynes said the VSU community — as well as nearby hummingbirds and butterflies — are sure to enjoy the tree’s vibrant red, tubular blooms every spring. 

During the on-campus Georgia Arbor Day ceremony, VSU received its 14th Tree Campus designation, and Haynes shared a bit about the work behind maintaining the university’s urban forest. As she and her grounds maintenance team have shared before, these efforts are important to student success and the health and well-being of every member of the VSU community.

Tree Campus Higher Education, previously known as Tree Campus USA, is a national program created by the Arbor Day Foundation to honor colleges and universities for effective campus forest management and for engaging college and university community members in conservation goals.

Georgia Arbor Day, observed annually on the third Friday in February, encourages communities to plant and care for trees during the Peach State’s optimal planting season.

VSU’s Department of Landscape and Grounds is committed to providing the campus community with the highest quality service in the areas of horticulture, landscape maintenance, landscape construction, irrigation, and trash compaction. Each grounds maintenance team member takes pride in his or her efforts to maintain the distinctive beauty of the campus and how that supports university-wide recruitment and retention efforts.